GREENWICH -- Scott Donie smiled while watching the young athletes dive off the one- and three-meter boards at the YMCA of Greenwich Friday, knowing he saw a lot of himself in the kids.

With the Summer Games in London beginning next week, the YMCA of Greenwich brought an Olympic presence to its own pool the past two days, as Donie, a U.S. Olympic diver and silver medalist, lent his expertise at a special clinic.

"This is a great opportunity to give back," Donie, 43, said. "I was one of these kids not very long ago, coming from a very similar program and I had some of the same dreams as them."

Donie garnered the silver medal in the 10-meter platform event at the 1992 Summer Olympic Games and placed fourth in the 3-meter springboard at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Many of the divers attending the two-day clinic are members of the YMCA Marlins Diving Club, which will compete in the Speedo Junior Nationals in Greensboro, N.C., from Aug. 1-10.

"These kids are preparing for the national championships, which is going to be happening the same time as the Olympics, so it's like an Olympic meet for them," Donie said. "It's the biggest meet of the summer for them, so it's important for me to share all the little secrets I've learned along the way and try to get them motivated and excited."

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Marlins co-head coach Dylan Korn was delighted to see Donie share his wisdom with the team.

"To have someone who has gone all the way to the top and medaled working with these group of kids is real inspiring for them," Korn said. "We have our national competition coming up in two weeks, so this was very important to us."

Elizabeth Fitzpatrick, a rising sophomore at Greenwich Academy, finished first in her event at the Junior Nationals as an 11-year-old. The Darien resident is planning to make a strong run at the national meet next month.

"I am really looking forward to Junior Nationals," Fitzpatrick said. "I worked with Scott (Donie) before in Indianapolis, so it's great to see him again. He really helps me improve a lot."

Carolina Sculti, a 12-year-old from Rye, N.Y., won the gold medal in the one-meter event at Junior Nationals last year in Tennessee.

"I really like that Scott is here," said Sculti, who will compete in the 12-and-13 year-old age group at the national meet. "He really helped me both days he was here."

Donie, who has served as the head diving coach at New York University since 2000 where he has mentored 15 All-Americans, gave the youngsters some advice besides working on the technical aspects of the sport.

"I reminded them to enjoy the process," said Donie, an 11-time Southwest Conference Diving Champion during his career at Southern Methodist University. "I tell them to enjoy every little aspect of what you do. Even the things you don't like doing -- if you find a way to enjoy those things you'll have a huge advantage over everyone else."

Maintaining a positive outlook was indeed, one of the keys to Donie's success.

"When I was a young diver, I felt I was enjoying myself more than any other diver," Donie said. "That included when we were doing all the drills, stretching and exercises before we started diving."

James Hopper, 12, enjoys executing his inward 2 1/2 on the five-meter board and reverse dive on the 10-meter board for the Marlins.

"I have been diving for four years and I'm really having a lot of fun," said Hopper, who attends Eastern Middle School in Greenwich. "I like doing long competitions and jumping off high things like platform diving. I have already gone to nationals twice, so I know what to expect and I think I'll do better this year."

Lee Christensen, a 15-year-old Darien High School student, said the clinic was beneficial.

"I really enjoy working with Scott," Christensen said. "It's always nice to have another set of eyes watching you dive in practice. He helps you get over the fear of executing new dives and has some valuable input."

Christensen, who said he began diving because he was "always into stunts and spinning," is known for his 2 1/2 back dive and reverse 2 1/2.

"We're excited to showcase what we learned all year at nationals," Christensen said. "It's kind of nerve wracking, but we're looking forward to the challenge."

Donie was impressed as he watched divers of all ages -- including his 6-year-old daughter Lucy -- test their skills at the YMCA.

"There's a ton of talent here," he said. "You have divers from beginners to age group national champions here. This is a beautiful facility. Everything you need to teach these kids is here."